How the Mustang EcoBoost Makes 345hp in the Focus RS

Ford Motor Company has finally announced the official power figures for the 2016 Ford Focus RS and even though it uses a similar engine to that found in the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost, it makes substantially more power in this new all-wheel drive super-hatch – packing 345 horsepower and 347lb-ft of torque.

When Ford Motor Company introduced the 2016 Ford Focus RS earlier this year, they simply said that it would offer at least 315 horsepower from a specially tuned version of the same 2.3L EcoBoost 4-cylinder in the new Ford Mustang. I had speculated that it would deliver 325 horsepower and 350lb-ft of torque while others expected the numbers to sit around 350 horsepower and 375lb-ft of torque. Everyone who guessed that the numbers would be in that range were kind of right, as my torque figure was close, but my horsepower numbers were a bit low.

Official Ford Focus RS Power

The 2016 Ford Focus RS is powered by a 2.3L EcoBoost 4-cylinder that delivers 345 horsepower and 324lb-ft of torque under normal conditions, but the new Focus RS also has an overboost mode that allows this motor to make 347lb-ft of torque for bursts of up to 15 seconds at a time. This will be particularly helpful for those owners who are taking their Focus RS drag racing while also being great for blasting down straightaways on a road course before dropping back to normal boost mode through the turns.

To get the extra power out of the 2016 Ford Focus RS, the 2.3L EcoBoost engine from the Mustang has been fitted with a different turbocharger, an upgraded intake system, a larger exhaust system and a larger radiator, which helps keep this high performance mill cool over long periods of track time. This power is put to the ground via a 6-speed manual transmission and a new advanced all-wheel drive system that should be one of the best-performing systems of its type in the segment.

Focus RS VS The Competition

When the 2016 Ford Focus RS arrives, it should be one of the highest performance hatchbacks sold in the world.

The three most well-known sport compacts sold in the US right now are the Subaru WRX STI, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and the Volkswagen Golf R. The Subaru offers 305 horsepower and 290lb-ft of torque, the Evo offers 291 horsepower and 300lb-ft of torque and the Golf R offers 292hp and 280lb-ft of torque. In other words, the Focus RS should crush those three popular sport compacts while also having a price in the same general range.

Even if you go upscale, the new Ford Focus RS has a good chance of competing with some of the biggest names in small-car performance. The BMW M235i has 320hp/330lb-ft of torque, the Mercedes Benz AMG CLA45 has 355hp/332lb-ft of torque and the Audi RS3 has 362hp/343lb-ft of torque, giving the overboosting Focus RS over those far pricier high performance models.

Goodwood Debut

The 2016 Ford Focus RS will make its formal on-track debut at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed and the video below offers a look at the new super-hot hatch during its final testing before heading to the hill climb.

The Focus RS sounds absolutely amazing, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!